Differential expression of two glucuronyltransferases synthesizing HNK-1 carbohydrate epitope in the sublineages of the rat myogenic progenitors

HNK-1 epitope is a cell-surface carbohydrate mediating various cell-cell or cell-substrate interactions. We found HNK-1 epitope in longitudinally arra yed fibers in the subpopulation of the epaxial myotome, and hypaxial myobla sts migrating into the limb bud in the rat embryo. We next investigated the expression patterns of genes encoding two glucoronyltransferases (GlcAT-P, GlcAT-D) and sulfotransferase (Sul-T), which are required for biosynthesis of HNK-1 epitope. GBcAT-P gene was expressed in the non-migrating longitud inal fibers, whereas GlcAT-D gene was expressed in the migrating myoblasts in the limb bud, Sul-T gene expression was ubiquitously observed in all the se myogenic populations. Thus, differential expression of GlcAT genes may r elate to the epaxial/hypaxial or migrating/non-migrating myoblast lineages. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.